>>>
>>> TONIGHT THE KING 5 INVESTIGATORS BRING TO LIGHT A
MONTHS LONG FIGHT BETWEEN A
BELOVED FIRST COUNTY FIRE
CHIEF AND THE STATE OF
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. CHIEF WARREN PETERSON TURNED TO
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR INDUSTRIES
AFTER NEARLY DYING IN A ON-THE-
JOB ACCIDENT BUT INSTEAD OF
HELP THE STATE PUT UP
ROADBLOCKS.
ROADBLOCKS. SUSANNA FREI JOINS US WITH THIS
STORY THAT'S TAKEN A LOT OF
TWISTS AND TURNS.
>> THIS CHIEF HAS GIVEN HIS
LIFE TO PUBLIC SERVICE BUT WHEN
HE SUFFERED SERIOUS WORK-
RELATED INJURIES, THEY
REPEATEDLY DENIED HIS CLAIM
INSISTING HE WASN'T ON THE JOB
WHEN HE WAS HURT THEN THE STATE
MADE A MOVE EXPERTS SAY THEY'VE
NEVER SEEN
>>
>> Reporter: THIS IS FIRE CHIEF WARREN PETERSON AT HARBORVIEW,
STRUGGLING TO RECOVER FROM A
CRUSHED RIGHT ARM AND LEG,
THREE SURGERIES, SERIOUS
INFECTIONS, WORST OF ALL, A
STROKE THAT LEFT HIM UNABLE TO
WALK AND BARELY ABLE TO TALK.
>> HOW ARE YOU FEELING?
>> I HURT.
>> Reporter: HE WAS SENT TO
HARBORVIEW IN MAY FROM HIGHWAY
12 NEAR TALUS, A SENIOR CITIZEN
WITH DEMENTIA SLAMMED HIS
PICKUP TRUCK INTO THE CHIEFS
MOTORCYCLE, CHIEF PETERSON AND
THE BIKE FLEW DOZENS OF YARDS
INTO A DITCH .
>> IT WAS HORRIFYING,
ABSOLUTELY HORRIFYING.
ABSOLUTELY HORRIFYING. >> Reporter: HIS WIFE WAS
DRIVING IN A SEPARATE CAR AND
WATCHED THE ENTIRE ACCIDENT
UNFOLD.
UNFOLD.
UNFOLD. >> I DID NOT THINK HE WAS GOING
TO BE ALIVE.
I WAS REALLY AFRAID OF WHAT I
WAS GOING TO FIND.
>> Reporter: THE PETERSONS WERE
ON THE STRETCH OF THE ROAD TO
SAVE THE FIRE DISTRICT MONEY
AND TIME, THREE DAYS BEFORE,
THE CHIEF VOLUNTEERED TO DRIVE
THE DISTRICT'S NEW FIRE TRUCK
FROM THE CHIEFS X AREA IN THE
TRI-CITIES AND SWIFTLY
DELIVERED THE EQUIPMENT THEN
HEADED OVER THE MOUNTAINS WITH
HIS WIFE TO RETRIEVE HIS
PERSONAL MOTORCYCLE THAT HE'D
LEFT BEHIND.
LEFT BEHIND. THAT IS WHEN THE ACCIDENT
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. >> WAS THERE ANY DOUBT IN YOUR
MIND, WHEN YOU LEFT THAT SUNDAY
THAT YOU WERE DOING THIS FOR
THE CITIZENS OF THE FIRE
DISTRICT?
DISTRICT?
DISTRICT? >> IT WAS STRICT BEFORE THE
PURPOSE.
PURPOSE.
PURPOSE. >> Reporter: THE FIRE
DEPARTMENT AGREED WHEN THE
PETERSONS SUBMITTED A WORKERS
COMP CLAIM, THE ACTING CHIEF
CHECKED THIS BOX SAYING THEY
HAD NO CONCERNS, THE CHIEF WAS
ON THE JOB AND THE CLAIM WAS
VALID.
VALID.
VALID. >>
VALID. >> I THOUGHT, BECAUSE MY
DEPARTMENT SIGNED OFF ON THIS,
THAT THIS WAS A DONE DEAL.
>> Reporter: THAT'S NOT THE WAY
THEY SAW THINGS, IN JUNE, TWO
BUSINESS DAYS AFTER RECEIVING
THE PAPERWORK ESTATE MANAGER
WROTE, "I MUST DIE YOUR CLAIM".
LATER IN JUNE DENYING IT AGAIN.
SAYING HE WAS NOT IN
EMPLOYMENT.
EMPLOYMENT. >> I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT.
>> THEY WEREN'T DONE FIGHTING .
THEY FILED AN OFFICIAL APPEAL
BUT LNI STUCK TO ITS GUNS AND
SHUT IT DOWN ONE MORE TIME.
>> I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY,
IT'S FRUSTRATING, ABSOLUTELY
FRUSTRATING.
FRUSTRATING. I HONESTLY FEEL LIKE GOING DOWN
THERE AND PICKETING IN FRONT OF
THE BUILDING.
THE BUILDING. >> Reporter: WITH THE CLAIMANT
MEDICAL BILLS ROLLING IN, THE
PETERSONS FACE A 2-FOUR-YEAR
LEGAL BATTLE WITH LNI.
WITHOUT A PAYCHECK OR MEDICAL
BENEFITS, AND NO PROMISE OF
EVER GETTING THEM BACK.
INCREDIBLE STRESS AS THE CHIEF
IS RELEARNING TO USE HIS HAND,
WALK, TALK, AND EXCEPT HE COULD
BE DISABLED FOR THE REST OF HIS
LIFE.
LIFE.
LIFE. >>
LIFE. >> THIS WASN'T A CRUISE ON A
MOTORCYCLE, YOU KNOW, SOME
BOONDOGGLE, IT WASN'T ANYTHING
LIKE THAT.
LIKE THAT. >> Reporter: ONE OF TWO
ATTORNEYS PETERSON HAS HIRED TO
WORK ON THE CASE, SHE IS
OUTRAGED THE STATE DID NOT CALL
THE FAMILY OR DO MUCH OF ANY
INVESTIGATION AT ALL BEFORE
RUSHING TO THEIR DECISION.
>> YOU HAVE A MISSION AND
PURPOSE, HUMAN LIVES ARE AT
STAKE, HUMAN BEINGS ARE
IMPACTED, DO YOUR JOB.
FOR THE PETERSONS WERE SO FED
UP THEY CALLED THE KING 5
INVESTIGATORS, SO I WROTE LNI
TO TELL THEM I WAS WORKING ON
THE STORY THEN ASKED FOR
COMMENT.
COMMENT.
COMMENT. AFTER ALL OF THAT, TWO
ATTORNEYS, THREE DENIALS, AND
NEARLY 5 AND HALF MONTHS OF
WORRYING AND LINGLE RAY GOING
LEGAL WRANGLING I WROTE THIS
EMAIL AND THREE BUSINESS DAYS
LATER THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED.
>> GOING FROM DENIAL-DENIAL TO
WHERE THEY ACCEPTED IT, WAS
REALLY UNEXPECTED.
REALLY UNEXPECTED. >> Reporter: THAT'S RIGHT, OUT
OF THE WILL BLUE THE STATE
REVERSED AT THIS DECISION.
IT'S A LIFE ALTERING CHANGE,
THE CHIEF WILL RECEIVE HIS PAY
AND BENEFITS UNTIL HE CAN
RETURN TO WORK AND IF YOU CAN'T
IT WILL BE FOR THE REST OF HIS
LIFE.
LIFE.
LIFE. >>
LIFE. >> I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
>> I'M GOING TO SAY THIS WAS
TRULY AMAZING.
TRULY AMAZING. IT WAS TRULY AMAZING.
>> Reporter: JUSTICE FOR A
PUBLIC SERVANT INJURED WHILE
SERVING THE PUBLIC.
>> NOW, OF COURSE, WE HAVE NO
IDEA IF OUR INVOLVEMENT LED TO
THIS OUTCOME OF BUT WE'VE
CONSULTED WITH THREE EXPERTS IN
THE FIELD BUT THEY SAY THEY'VE
NEVER SEEN THIS HAPPEN BEFORE
OR SEEN THE STATE PRIMITIVE
LEGAL INDUSTRIES REVERSE THEIR
DECISION OUT OF THE BLUE BEFORE
LITIGATION EVEN BEGAN. WE
ASKED LNI WHY THIS SUDDEN
CHANGE AND SAID THEY RECEIVED
NO INFORMATION ABOUT THE CHIEFS
TRIP IN MID-SEPTEMBER WHICH
MADE THE DIFFERENCE AT THE
CHIEFS POINT IS THIS, YES OF
COURSE THEY ARE THRILLED TO
HAVE THIS CLAIM ACCEPTED.
BUT THEY DIDN'T THINK IT SHOULD
HAVE TAKEN ALL OF THIS, ALL OF
THIS FIGHTING, HIRING ATTORNEYS
AND SO FORTH BEFORE THE RIGHT
THING HAPPENED.
THING HAPPENED. >> IT'S LIKE YOU SAID, HE'S A
PUBLIC SERVANT ON THE JOB,
AFTER EVERYTHING HE'S BEEN
THROUGH TO DEVOTE HIS LIFE IN
SERVICE THAT THEY WOULD HAVE
HAD TO HAVE GONE THROUGH ALL OF
THIS.
THIS.
THIS. >>
THIS. >> I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW IT WAS
FOR THEM TO GET THAT NEWS.
>> THEY WERE SHOCKED AND SO
WAS